A selection of vintage miniature hats are currently being documented by experts and volunteers at the Leeds Discovery Centre.
And trust us, these hats are really really cute.
From top hats and riding hats to gold trimmed hats and feather trimmed Tudor hats, there's a plethora of historic tiny hats currently undergoing conservation at the Leeds Discovery Centre.
The remarkable range, some of which fit in the palm of a hand, were made by Leeds hatter John Craig in the early 1900s who established his business in the popular shopping district of Park Row.
Image: Leeds City Council
The shop remained there until 1936 before moving to Wellington Street, where it traded until around 1947.
But the hats weren't made for mice to wear, they were originally crafted to show to clients and demonstrate the maker's skill and impressive range of products they could create.
A leaflet from 1927 said John Craig "commenced his business with the ambition of supplying good hats, and as the variety of shapes increased specialising in selecting for his customers the hats of most suitable shape giving especial care to the comfort of the wearer."
Image: Leeds City Council
Natalie Raw, Leeds Museums and Galleries curator of costume, has been working with a group of students from The University of York to document the extent of the John Craig's collection and other objects stored at the Leeds Discovery Centre.
She said: “The quite remarkable variety of shapes, sizes and colours of hats in our collection shows the many different ways they have been worn over the decades, including practically as a status symbol, and sometimes as a flamboyant fashion statement.
Image: Leeds City Council
“These wonderful miniature hats in particular demonstrate the skill and artistry possessed by one traditional Leeds hatmaker and the pride he clearly took in his work. It’s fascinating to think of each of them carefully and meticulously made in the workshop and then proudly shown to potential customers.
“We’re fortunate to have such an extensive collection to go through and it’s been so rewarding to find out more about the history behind these beautiful, stylish creations.”
We hope you're hungry Leeds, because a big festival dedicated to all things food is coming to Temple Newsam.
The Temple Newsam Food Festival is now in its second year after a resounding first edition, aiming to celebrate cultural diversity, independent businesses, and global cuisine.
It will take place this weekend on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026, with the beautiful and historic Temple Newsam providing the perfectly picturesque location.
The festival will celebrate local talent, independent businesses, world cultures and international flavours.
The Street Food Arena will feature an array of global cuisines, cultural delicacies, and irresistible desserts whilst the event's bustling Artisan Markets will showcase a plethora of small businesses and local entrepreneurs offering freshly-baked goods, quality produce. hand-made crafts, unique experiences, vibrant art, and much more.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it doesn't stop there as festival-goers can enjoy a selection of independent bars serving cocktails, specialty spirits, fresh cider, wine and beer.
This year there will be a huge focus on live cookery demos, with ten demonstrations from a whole range of talented chefs including Leeds' own Josh Whitehead of Finer Pleasures, Bobby Geetha of Kerala Canteen and stars from Masterchef and The Great British Bake Off.
And it's not just about food and drink, as new for this year there will be a dog show, plenty of live music and lots of fun activities such as inflatable jousting and target paintball.
Tickets are on sale now, and you can grab yours here.
The hidden Leeds bakery serving giant cheese twists, pickle sausage rolls and chocolate focaccia
Clementine Hall
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Clementine Hall -
19th March 2024 
